The present invention relates to a device for automatic cashiers, e.g. in vending machines, for the sale of goods or the dispensing of services, for storing or accumulating coins. The device has a coin slot, a subsequently arranged storage channel, a return slot, and a coin-collecting opening. Disposed in the storage channel is a spiral spring for receiving respective coins between adjacent turns of the springs. The spiral spring can be rotated at least one full turn in either direction by a motor.
Devices of the aforementioned general type exist both as so-called intermediate storage means for coins of different values, with a subsequently arranged coin sorting device, and also as so-called leftover-coin storage means of coins having the same value. During the course of a purchase, all the coins deposted therefore are stored in the intermediate storage means so that these same coins can again be returned if the purchase is interrupted, for example because an insufficient amount of coins were inserted, or if the user of the vending machine presses the coin return because he made a mistake in his selection of goods or services. In this case, the coins of different value which are present in the storage channel are returned to the user via a return slot. This procedure precludes the user from exchanging counterfeit coins, which have somehow passed by the coin checker, for genuine coins from the machine. During a normal purchase procedure, the coins which are temporarily stored in the storage channel of the temporary storage means are fed to a subsequently arranged coin-sorting device, so that the coins in conformity with their value subsequently can be supplied to the actual storage means of the automatic cashier or into the end cash-box.
The leftover-money storage means of a vending machine for the sale of goods or the dispensing of services respectively contain coins of the same value, since they are intended for having available the necessary amount of money for machines which make change. Such remaining-money storage means are normally arranged within the machine after the coin-sorting device, so that they not only give change from the money contained therein, but can also be refilled with coins inserted into the machine when purchases are made.
The known devices for storing coins, which devices are provided with a storage channel which is connected after a coin slot, have the drawback that on the one hand they have a relatively complicated and expensive construction, and on the other hand they require a relatively large amount of space.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a storage device of the aforementioned general type for coins which is structurally simpler and requires less space.